What is the cost of living in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 100.0, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 105.5, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,895/month.

What is the median salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?

The median salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton is $70,782 annually (mean: $74,328). Top occupations include Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses.

How safe is Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?

The violent crime rate in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area is 250 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1457 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?

The state of PA has 2,930 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1. Charter schools make up 6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton.

Is Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton a good place to relocate?

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton has a Life Score of 41.9/100 (F), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton ranks #244 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

BEA RPP 100.0 ranks #297 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

100.0
Cost index (US=100): $1,895
2BR rent / mo: $70,782
Median salary: 47.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton ranks #244 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (47.9/100), with its strongest marks in schools and job market.

#244
of 387 US metros · Near median: 13,078,751
metro-area population: 250
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,930
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: housing (11/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton ranks #244 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 100.0 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,895/mo, median salary $70,782; LiveAbility Score 47.9/100, strongest in schools and job market.

Signature: BEA RPP 100.0 ranks #297 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 100.0 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,895/mo.

LiveAbility 47.9/100 keeps Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton in the middle third (#244 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area is 370,630.

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

48 Top 63% higher than 37% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA; housing RPP 105.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,895/mo.

Studio

$1,517

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,527

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,895

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,404

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,800

/month

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton wages and employment

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton posts 370,630 total employment with median salary $70,782 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$70,782

Mean Salary

$74,328

Total Employment

370,630

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$42,380
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$30,380
Registered Nurses	$101,440
Stockers and Order Fillers	$38,950
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$29,090

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area from NCES.

Schools

2,930

Enrollment

1,664,154

Student:Teacher

13.6:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton's composite Life Score is 41.9/100 (F), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

23/100

Weak

Wages

71/100

Strong

Rent

11/100

Bottom decile

Crime

71/100

Strong

Schools

15/100

Bottom decile

Environment

51/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton ranks #244 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 47.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (86/100)

Schools

86
Job market

71
Safety

71
Air quality

68
Low hazard

35
Climate

28
Cost of living

23
Housing

11

What this shows Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton's strongest dimensions are schools and job market; its weakest among scored dims is housing at 11/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton to

Hinesville Homosassa Springs Hot Springs Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Huntington-Ashland

Metros near Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton runs a $70,782 median salary at a 100.0 cost index, ranking #244 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.